


Finding You

by YallHearSumn



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha Thor (Marvel), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Western, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Canon-Typical Violence, Chaptered, Country & Western, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, First Impressions, First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Tony Stark, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Bruce, Omega Tony Stark, Omega Verse, Other, Past Abuse, Past Tony Stark/Tiberius Stone, Physical Abuse, Prostitution, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Religious Content, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Sam Wilson is a Gift, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Violence, Western
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:34:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21728368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YallHearSumn/pseuds/YallHearSumn
Summary: He's hefting a crate of carrots off of the back of the buckboard when he sees a beautiful young man pass by. Clad in the cloth shirt and leather breeches of any regular smithy, his face and hands blackened from working in the furnace, the man should not have caught his eye at all, except that he did, and Steve can't bring himself to look away. He moves with simple, fluid grace, chestnut curls plastered to his forehead from the heat; looking neither left nor right, nor even showing any reaction to the catcalls from the boys coming from the mines, the man is the picture of silent grace - and then, Steve catches his scent.Loosely inspired by Marvel 1872, and the mobile game Klondike (deadass).
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Thor, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Reed Richards & Tony Stark, Reed Richards/Susan Storm (Fantastic Four), Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 19
Kudos: 136





	1. Bumfuck Nowhere, California

**Author's Note:**

> So this will be a chapters did, I'm finishing up on the uni au's final touches and a few for one of my post-civil war stories. So, background:
> 
> -I don't understand the time period myself, BUT think the whole era of the Gold rush in the West. That's the setting babes.
> 
> -MENTIONED: Tony works as a prostitute on the ship, no descriptions really, but it's implied. Implied harm by Ty as well.
> 
> -I hope you guys enjoy 💛

Steve was always careful when unloading the produce at Thor's. While the man could live up to his name as an ex-soldier turned shopkeep, he was never a bad business partner, and would more often than not tip them with an extra bit of gold dust for their efforts. 

Bucky was usually the one to come into town, but he'd come down with a chill, and so Steve was left with doing deliveries and getting something for his best friend's illness by the town doctor. 

He's hefting a crate of carrots off of the back of the buckboard when he sees a beautiful young man pass by. Clad in the cloth shirt and leather breeches of any regular smithy, his face and hands blackened from working in the furnace, the man should not have caught his eye at all, except that he did, and Steve can't bring himself to look away. He moves with simple, fluid grace, chestnut curls plastered to his forehead from the heat; looking neither left nor right, nor even showing any reaction to the catcalls from the boys coming from the mines, the man is the picture of silent grace - and then, Steve catches his scent. 

Under the smoke and sweat and oil, a distinct floral scent wafts from him, something sweet - like the vanilla orchids that had been common down South - so strong that Steve can almost taste it on his tongue. 

"Close your mouth, Rogers, you'll catch flies." Steve is brought back to Earth by Thor's booming voice, letting out the breath he hadn't even know he'd been holding. "Something ain't he?" 

"Who is he, and what's an Omega doing working in the smithy?" Steve asks bewildered, resting the crate on his shoulder and rushing his steps to catch up with Thor when the brunet disappears down the street. 

The man grins at him, resting a sack of potatoes against the wall of his shop. "That's Tony, prettiest thing to blow into town since Nat." 

"What do you know about him? Is he _with _Richards?" Reed Richards had been the town's smithy since the gold rush had started, fitting the boys with the most affordable equipment this side of the Rockies.__

____

____

"No more than anyone else, he goes between the smithy and the boarding house, rinse and repeat everyday. Except on Saturday's," Thor informs him, leaning up against the wood counter. "Calm down Steven, he's not running off with anybody, besides, Richard has been courting Sue Storm." 

Impatiently, Steve files the last part away. A good neighbour would congratulate someone on their courtship, no? "What does he do on Saturday's?" 

"He goes to Nat's, fills himself with a nice, warm meal and then heads upstairs to get serviced by one of her girls, sometimes he even goes by Clint's room." 

At the look of shock that crosses Steve's face, Thor bursts into thunderous laughter, clapping a heavy hand on his back. "I joke! He does go to Nat's though. I hear he likes a nice rich scotch with his steak." 

"You hear? Don't you get around to Nat's too?" 

"Well, he goes with Richards." Thor shrugs, as if that's answer enough. "Reed makes sure nobody bothers him unless they've paid for his time, and that's _only _for work done in the smithy."__

____

____

"I wasn't thinking anything else, a boy like that would be popular in Nat's place though." 

"Sure would, even my Bruce thinks he's cute." 

"'Your' Bruce?" Steve asks, smirking as catches on to what the other Blonde is implying. 

"We made it official this passed Winter. Figured we couldn't keep living in sin anymore, and I wanted to make an honest man out of Bruce." Thor flashes his band, plain gold, but in a town like this, might as well have been encrusted with rare gems. Steve runs a longing finger over chain around his neck. 

"Congratulations, brother. I can't think of a more deserving couple." 

"Thanks, Steve. You can give Bruce your congratulations when you get those herbs for Bucky. Let's settle up." 

*** 

On his way out of town, after stopping by Bruce's and giving his mare some time to rest, Steve rides by the smithy. There's a handful of people loitering around, mostly young men who seem to have come up from the river, conversing with each other, eyes fixated on a figure with dirty hands and a sooty face. _Another day, _he thinks to himself, guiding his horse back onto the road out of town.__

____

____

*** 

"Did you know there was a new smithy in town? An Omega." 

"Oh yeah, Tony. He got Speed's hooves fixed up." 

"So you all knew about this Tony except me?" 

"Not my fault you don't leave the farm." 

"Sam doesn't either." 

"Yeah but I _know _about Tony. He's a dope guy, we dunked for apples together at the fair last week."__

____

____

"I knew I should have gone to that fair." 

"What are you mutterin' over there Stevie?" 

"Shaddup. Aren't you supposed to be sick?" 

"Who says I'm not?" 

"You're doing a lot of arguing for someone who's sick." 

"Literally no one is arguing, Steve. You need to turn in and realign your energies." 

"Thanks for having my back against these unnecessary attacks, Sam." 

"I'm literally just annoyed with both of your voices, and Steve can't shoot dice to save his life. Winning doesn't seem as satisying." 

"Whatever." 

*** 

Tony scrubbed at his hands and face harshly, willing the soot and coal to come off. He couldn't dirty his room again, Madame Masque did nightly inspections of the hostel and had fined him extra for the marks his oil-stained hands had left on the dresser. He dunked hid head in the barrel, hoping to get it at least semi-clean until he could go by the bath house. 

Just a few more minutes and he could leave. Outside, he can hear the boys laughing. They were a pack of four who stopped by every afternoon to get their tools checked over, apparently from hitting gold a few leagues down the bank. They were always full of laughter and fun when they were drunk, a happy change to the desolate and empty faces that passed through on the way to and back from rush. 

Tony wished he could lose himself in a bottle of scotch right now, but he had promised Reed (and _himself _) he'd stay dry from now, Saturday's were the exception.__

____

____

When Tony had boarded the ship West, he didn't have anything going through his mind except survival and the distinct brand of bitterness that came from having everything he worked for stripped away. The mirage of freedom and spark of hope had died as soon as he stepped foot on the dock, one of only three Omegas besides the captain's son on board. The crowd they'd sailed with was rough, mostly young men in search of opportunity and a new life among the golden banks in the West. 

On the first night, he had barricaded his door while one of the other Omegas had gone into a heat due to their proximity to rutting Alphas. Tony had had to mask his scent with paraffin, lathering his scent glands in the thick oil to throw the Alphas off. 

When the captain had refused him anymore oil for his lamp and had simply tossed him a few candle sticks, he knew he only had two options regarding the savagery that was taking place on board: either he got to work and lined his pockets, or sit like a limp fish and be raped by the brutes on the ship. 

The first time was the hardest, but every other nameless foul-smelling Alpha after him had been easier. Some of them were even gentle, littering Tony with kisses or stroking his hair until he feel asleep, but none had been as charming (or deceiving) as Ty Stone. 

Ty had bought his company for ten days straight, braving the rough seas with him in the cramped space of his quarters. Maybe it had been the utter despair and hopelessbess Tony was feeling, or the drunk haze he'd gotten used to being in since he started whoring himself out, but somewhere between getting roughly fucked into the mattress and sharing a sweet kiss so passionate it had him sobering up, Tony had fallen a little in love (or so he thought). Ty had a silver tongue, selling him dreams and convincing him of a future he had never even wanted. Between wet kisses he promised a cabin in the woods, built from scratch just for the two of them, and a cradle by the window for their babies. 

in all honesty, the blonde had just wanted a cash cow, pimping Tony out and never letting him see even a speck of the profits. He'd been okay with that at first, excited at the prospect of having someone take care of him, making sure nobody was hurting him, but then he'd set upon the other girls, extending his "services" to them and coming by Tony's room less and less. 

Nevertheless, his foolish self still had hope, in the future, and in this new life he'd be starting with Ty in California. Sure it was fast, and they were off to a rocky start, but Ty had taken care of him when no one else would. On the day they docked, Tony had been having farewell drinks with the captain's steward, stumbling back to his cabin only to find Ty ripping it apart. He always thought of the moments between seeing him ripping open his chests and waking up caked in his own vomit as a blank period. He had no recollection of what happened between then and waking up, but the aching of his body and his missing possessions gave him a good enough idea. 

Thankfully the captain's boy, Harley, was still above deck when Tony had finally managed to pull himself up from the floor. Aching from the beating and numb with confusion and hurt, he sat quietly as the boy patched him up, drawing the shawl he'd rested on his shoulders closer. 

When Harley had brought him to dock amidst rain and a horrible cold front, Tony was uncertain whether leaving had even been the best choice. At least if he'd stayed, he'd have a roof over his head and some form of certainty over whether he'd live to see tomorrow ( _that was if Obi didn't end up killing him anyway _), but here he was utterly and helplessly alone, with not a speck of gold to his name beside his mother's locket sown into the sleeve of his shirt. At least Ty hadn't taken it, but Tony couldn't help his despair at losing everything.__

____

____

He'd wandered for days around the port, trying to remember what Rhodey had said about Reed. The man owned a smithy, but it couldn't be anywhere near the docks because no man had heard of him. He was hungry and cold when Reed finally stumbled upon him, trying to find himself at the bottom of the bottle of sweet wine his last "client" had left behind as payment. "Tony? Get up, come on." 

He had been disoriented, but stumbled along to his wagon nonetheless. Even if this wasn't Reed, he'd figured anything had to be better than nothing right? 

The bruises hadn't cleared up, and Tony hadn't realised how exhausted and defeated he'd actually been until Reed had tucked him into the back of the wagon between his wares and he'd just passed right out. 

Which brought him right here to Bumfuck Nowhere, California. By the little town there were no golden beaches California was known for, only farmland that stretched for miles on end, and a never-ending sense of nothingness. It was a good life nonetheless, a little predictable and bland, but rather that than spending the rest of his life getting whored out or beaten to a pulp. Here he could come to the smithy and pound away all his frustrations; he could go by Thor's and buy a roll of yarn to start his knitting projects (because he finally had all the time in the world to do it), and even take part in town fairs as crazy and country as that sounded. 

Finally, Reed comes down from the office, a bag of gold in hand. "Your week's wages, don't spend everything all at once now." 

"Well you know us Omegas and our catalogues, I was just thinking I needed a new dress just in case I have nowhere to wear it to," Tony joked, slipping the pouch into his satchel. 

Laughing good naturedly, Reed walked him out of the forge, a bounce to his step. "And here I thought you weren't like the other spinsters in town. Sue should take you by the farm and introduce you to her mama." 

"Remind me to ask her." 

"Sure will, you be safe getting back now, Tony. Stick to the main road." 

"Reed, this town only has one paved road, it'd be hard to get lost." Tony rolls his eyes, amused at Reed's mothering that had never stopped since that first day. God, he missed Rhodey. 

"Just saying, the streets are full tonight. Be careful." 

"Always." 


	2. under the grapevine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- picks up directly after chapter one -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was too excited to not write?? Lol
> 
> TW:  
> \- attempted rape (No details, from when Tony falls to the next ***)  
> \- violence (as in people get sh*t, not too graphic, it's from Tony's pov and he has his eyes closed)  
> -fluff towards the end  
> -religion 🌚

Leave it to Tony to get lost in a town with only one paved road, but honestly speaking, it was that stupid goat's fault.

While Tony had never been one to believe in God, his mama had been a Christian who had spent his formative years reading to him from the pages of her holy book. She'd never been too amused with Tony's smart mouth, even less so when he'd question her readings, and still, without fail, she'd read _at _him every moment she could. It's because of this upbringing at the hands of a slightly hysteric devout that he finds himself stopped outside of the sheriff's office in heated staring contest with a black goat, heart in his throat.__

____

____

_The devil comes in many forms, Anthony. None so more clear than when he's standing right in front of you in plain sight. He's always trying to test our Faith._

____

____

While Tony had always laughed at her stories of Omegas dancing off into the night to join Satan's choir, something has him frozen, and when the goat bucks towards him with his horns, he finds himself sprinting off the street and into the woods that lined the town. 

Now why he thought possibly facing wolves and bandits was easier than just crossing the street and running off, Job alone would know, and he had run too far in to figure out which way was the way back to the road, so on he trudged, trying to map the stars whenever a sliver of the sky appeared between the leaves of the tightly grown redwoods. 

While he never really felt cold much these days, with the heat from the forge and a well-placed lamp and heap of blankets back at the hostel always consistent in his life now, he hadn't counted on being lost in the woods for hours, or for the rain to start back up and the dizzying experience of trying to see straight ahead of him once dusk had settled. Crying out, he slid down the side of a slope, landing face-first in the softened soil. 

Cold, weary, and miserably wet, he pushed himself to his knees, halting when the sound of muffled footsteps stopped behind him. Stealing a look, he spies cloaked figures making their way towards him. 

The men approached him gradually, one pushing his hood off his head to reveal a masked face, leering at him so hard, his rotting teeth were showing. 

"My, my, my, what do we have here, boys?" A man with an obvious southern drawl asked. "A wee little damsel in distress?" 

Laughter rumbled through the group of four, and Tony paled slightly, inconspicuously trying to find something he could use for a weapon in case things went left. "I seem to have lost my way, why don't you fine gentleman point me back to the road and we can all be on our way?" 

The men laughed again, throwing down bags and seeming to settle in, an unnerving calm to their actions. "It's pretty late out here, darlin', you don't know what kind of unsavoury creatures could be roaming around these parts." 

"That's right, sweetheart, best you spend the night here with us, in fact, why don't you take those filthy clothes off and we give you a nice little bath, huh?" Another man piped up, causing Tony to grow even more tense. 

Shoving himself to his feet, Tony grabs onto a jagged rock as he goes. "Any other night I'd be more than happy to join you gentlemen, but tonight just won't work. I was trying to pick some berries for a pie, but I must have been too deep in my thoughts and trailed off," Tony starts, thankful his voice remained steady. "See, my husband just got back from fighting in the East, he's a colonel in the army." 

"Mighty fine husband you have there, but you're not dressed like no house Omega, and we can smell the smoke on you." 

Forcing a laugh, Tony tried to discreetly wrap the shawl around him tighter. "Long day down at the mines, I take the boys' lunch every day, and sometimes they need a helping hand. I've never been shy of hard work." 

"An Omega with principles, you don't get a lot those now do you, Thunderbolt?" The name drove fear into Tony's heart. Thunderbolt was a member of the bandit group, the Wrecking Crew, who had been terrorising small towns in the Mid-West for years now. 

"No you don't," Thunderbolt says, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Most Omegas these days whore themselves out for a speck of gold dust and a warm place to stay. Now we don't have a warm place for you to stay, darlin', but I'm sure we can compensate you greatly for your time." 

"I'm no whore, sirs, just a lost Omega who has to get back home before my husband sends the cavalry, so let me not hold you gentlemen up any further. A good night to you." Tony pivoted on his heel, rushing in the opposite direction to try to put as much space between him and them as he could. They surely wouldn't leave him untouched, especially not after revealing their identities to him. 

A rush of footsteps followed him, and before he knew it, he was surrounded, and held in place by two huge hands, crying out in pain as his foot twisted unnaturally. "Now hold on, sweetheart, we weren't done speaking with you just yet." 

"Those are some real bad manners you got there, your mama never teach you how to speak to an Alpha?" The man holding him asked with a wicked grin, yanking at the strings of Tony's shirt, ripping it off his shoulders and down his chest. "We didn't even get your name." 

"And you won't if we have anything to say about it." Five heads turned to where the voice came from, finding three loaded rifles pointed in their direction. "Now you let the Omega go, and get on your knees." 

The blonde man that towered over him broke out into laughter, shaking against Tony's back. "Change of plans," he announced, shoving Tony to the side. "We fuck the whore bloody after we give these farmer's boys a beating they'll never forget." 

Gunshots rang out and sailed past Tony's head before any of the Wrecking Crew could even reach for their holsters, and in fear, Tony curled into a ball where he lay, squeezing his eyes shut. _Make the target smaller._

____

____

Between the next few shots that cried into the air, someone stumbled over with heavy boots, yanking him up by the hair. "Now you boys go on ahead before I shoot the bit-" before Thunderbolt could finish the sentence, a bullet and his brain became acquainted with each other, splattering blood and brain matter over Tony's face. 

Panting, Tony doubled over and emptied his stomach, shakily accepting the flask of water one of his saviours passed to him. 

"Now Tony, what did I tell you about going out and looking for trouble?" A (thankfully) familiar voice asked, Sam drawing him up and tucking him into the crook of his neck where a calming woodsy scent settled over him. 

Too shaken to talk, Tony burrowed into his neck thankfully, shaking like a leaf in the large man's arms. Soon, two other bodies joined him, running reassuring hands through his hair and down his arms until his eyes closed, body finally giving in to sleep after the stress of the past hour. 

*** 

Tony woke to the pattering of rain on the window, tucked into a straw bed and covered with a heavy quilt. 

Stiff and exhausted, he gave up peering around the room when a figure appeared at the door, an angel whose hair was cast in a halo of light from the lamp in his hands. 

"I see you're up," came a deep voice, his accent more reminiscent of someone from the East. "How's your head feel?" 

Struggling to form words with his dry mouth, Tony cleared his throat. "M'fine." 

"Oh, sorry," the angel rushed out, grabbing a pitcher of water and sitting down next to Tony with the filled glass. "Here, let me help you up." 

When Tony had had his fill, and his groggy mind finally shook away the cobwebs, an alertness settled over him. "So, to who do I owe my thanks?" 

A boyish grin lit the man's face, and he moved to sit in the chair by the bed. "You don't owe us anything, it was the right thing to do." 

"How did you find me, by the way? There was no one out there and I was pretty deep in." 

"Actually," the man starts, running a hand through his hair that gleamed like sunlight, "you weren't too far from our farm, some of our sheep and a chicken disappeared, and well, I guess we found the culprit." 

"And those men?" 

"You don't ever need to worry about them again. In the West it's illegal to steal from poor farmers, and trying to hurt an Omega is even worse. That's a crime worth hanging," the man said, his tone cold but not at all harsh towards Tony. "No one will ever snatch you again, you were probably frightened to death." 

"Please," Tony says, trying to lighten the mood, "I was more afraid of the goat than them." 

"The goat?" The man asked amused, leaning back in his chair and filling up the room in the most unsuffocating way. 

"Yeah, it's the last time I'll ever listen to my mother. I ran away from a perfectly innocent goat straight into the hands of bandits," Tony explains, reaching over to take another sip of water. "Or maybe what she said was true, and he was the reason that happened. Oh Lord, I guess I'll have to go to church on Sunday." 

"You're clearly not from the South." The man laughed, his eyes scrunching up into little crescents. 

"And you're clearly not from the West, Mister..." 

"Steve, Steve Rogers; and you don't have to call me 'mister', makes me feel old." 

"And people say Omegas are obsessed with our ages. Vanity isn't a good trait in marrying-age Alphas I hear." 

Steve chortled again, slapping a hand across his chest. "My, you do have a mouth on you. I didn't believe Bucky or Sam." 

"Mm, I did have a teacher from down South, my mouth was her and my mother's worst parts about me. This pretty face outweighed all the bad though." Tony shifted in bed, squinting out of the window to try to make out the time. "Sorry that I won't be bending over to thank you, though. Those are against my principles." 

Steve blushed furiously, and Tony has never seen a man turn that small in a matter of moments. "I don't think they do that down South either..." 

"Mm, must be a Northern thing then," Tony said, amused at Steve's change in demure. "Say, where are those two knuckleheads? I owe them my thanks." 

"They headed into town to get the sheriff, the man sleeps like a log." 

Feeling cold suddenly, Tony darted upright, wincing when pain shoots from his ankle. "The sheriff?" 

Noticing his panic, Steve stands up to sit beside him, a grounding hand on his neck. "Hey, no need to worry about it. They know not to mention you, we wanted to speak to you first." 

"Good, that's good. No one can know about this, especially not Reed." 

"What will you tell him about your ankle? It's pretty swollen." 

"Just that I fell down walking home, us Omegas can be so silly after all." 

"Is it your life's mission to use Omega stereotypes against everyone?" 

"Not my fault you lot have been trying to push us in a box for centuries, besides, an Omega's weapons are courtesy and wit after all." 

"That you have plenty of." 

*** 

Dressing the next morning was hell on earth for his pained joints. Bucky had brought him some clothes, a worn-out linsey-woolsy and a camisole with frayed ribbons, that in Tony's state seemed like the greatest gift. He didn't really want to go to breakfast or in to town butt naked. 

"They belonged to Buck's sister, she and his mama came west with us but they died of fever," Steve had explained as he helped Tony. 

After breakfast, amidst a mass of ill-timed innuendos and jokes, Bucky and Sam had conveniently found 'super important' work they'd forgotten to do, leaving Steve to show Tony around the farm. 

While it wasn't much, it was their life's work, and something they'd spent years achieving. When they bought the land, only an old rickety house stood where their now four-roomed cabin stood, and Sam had even fixed up the old outhouse so that they didn't have to worrying about catching disease from their own excretement. 

He took Tony by the hand, leading him to the wheelie chair Bucky and Sam had brought with coming in from town, and showed him the concrib and gearshed, and the springhouse where they kept the meat and dairy products. They rested under the shade of the barn when Tony got overwhelmed with the heat. "Isn't it supposed to be winter?" 

"It's different out here, you can experience all four seasons in one day." 

"I gathered that." 

"We've been plowing and planting the fields for a few years, Bucky's been seeing opportunity in starting a grape arbour, so we've been trying to clear that area over there." Steve pointed to the land at the end of the property. 

Squinting in the sun, Tony nodded his head. "Yeah, there's a lack of good wines in the area." 

"You drink Mr Stark?" 

"Only when everybody's watching." Tony smirks at him, blinded by the light shining in his hair. "I wouldn't mind being your tasting expert once the harvest comes around, I hear I have really good tastebuds." 

"You'll be the first to know when the grapes ripen, or you should just come out here on weekends and help us work the field, since you're such a wine expert." 

"Are you cutting me some of the profit for my labour and expertise?" 

"That depends on my business partners, and shame on you for trying to bully a poor farmer out of his well-earned gold." 

"Mm, I hope you don't use that line at Nat's." And then, Steve's blushing again. 

"I wouldn't, but I don't go by Nat's except for when I need a hearty meal and some beer to fill my belly." 

"And Here I thought you were a man of the Lord, Steven. Shame on you," Tony joked, poking him in the side. 

"When we take communion, what do we drink, Mr Stark?" 

"Touché." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys liked!! I always start off with one idea, nd as I write the story and scenes take on a life of it's own lol.
> 
> This was planned so differently!


	3. Boy toys, and the trouble with loving in silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new contender for Tony's heart enters the ring, Bucky and Natasha are stubbornly in love, and Sam is tired of the idiots around him who can't just ~talk~ about their feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ran from me, I didn't even have this in the OG outline!!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy it, I'm on holiday so I seem to be able to do an update for at least one story every day (it's made easier by the fact that I have most of the updates already half-written in my notes app 😂)

"If you fell on your way home, why did Ben see you riding in with those farmers this morning?" Reed eyes him skeptically, arms crossed and close to that huffing and puffing he does when he's angry. 

Tony rolls his eyes, hobbling over to the chair in the corner. "Jesus, Reed. Not everything's a conspiracy. I hurt my leg, that's the part you should focus on." 

"I'm focusing on it, but I'm trying to understand how you fell in a busy street and no one saw you." 

Tony quirks an eyebrow. "Do you mean the drunkards who are too busy trying to get a knot off that they sometimes walk into the sheriff's office thinking it's Nat's?" 

"Well..." 

"Exactly, think about how you sound, Reed. Do you want to see my ankle to make sure I hurt it? You know what? I don't take kindly to people who call me a liar." Tony reaches down to start unwrapping the bandage, Reed rushing over to stop him. 

"Don't be stupid, Tony. Of course I believe you." 

"You're not acting like you believe me much." 

"I'm sorry, Tony. I was just worried when you didn't show up this morning, then the sheriff rides pass and tells me you're on those boys' farm so of course I'm a little spooked. I thought something happened." 

"Like what? If you're worried that I'm whoring myself out again, don't be-" 

"Tony, I didn't imply th-" 

"Sam and Bucky invited me out there to see a plot of land they wanted to farm, on a strictly consultancy basis." 

"Well, of course they would. You're the best around here." 

"That's surprising coming from you, you must feel real bad about thinking I'm a whore." 

"I didn't!" 

"Fine, _implying _that I was a whore."__

____

____

"Oh, shut, Tony." Reed marches up the stairs, Tony's laughing ringing in his ears. 

*** 

The week that he's supposed to be spending elevating his leg, some of the men downstream hit gold. The town has an influx of young Alphas from neighbouring towns, and work at the forge seems to double, but with too little hands to manage the work, Reed sends for Sue's brother. 

Johnny is young, abrasive and arrogant, an Alpha with an overabundance of confidence born from being the baby of the pack no matter what social setting he's in. So basically, Tony's kind of fun. 

On his first day, he grabs a handful of Tony's ass and gets a wooden block to the back of the head, and promptly doubles over in laughter, leading to a full day of Reed muttering about how all the people he takes in are always two fuses short. 

*** 

After completing their deliveries at Thor's and the butcher's, Steve finds himself in rhe tavern with Bucky and Sam, peering at the new faces over a beer. With the foot-traffic through the town, they were able to fetch a pretty penny for their fresh veggies and dairy, and if the momentum kept up, would be able to afford the extra supplies for the grape arbor, and a couple extra heads of cattle by Spring. 

A voice breaks his reverie. "Look who finally got off that farm of theirs to grace us with their presence." Nat was the picture of perfection as she came down the stairs, trailing a hand along the stair rail and over Bucky's shoulder as she came to stand behind him. "Where have you been, James? I've been lonely." 

"I've been working hard to get my sweetheart somethin' pretty, what type of man do you take me for?" Bucky asks breathily, leaning up to seal their lips in a passionate kiss. 

"Okay, can you two take it upstairs? I have customers trying to enjoy their doggone meal!" Remy shouts from the bar, all pink in the face. 

Smiling coyly at the man, Nat pulls away from Bucky, a small hand rubbing at his shoulders. "Who doesn't enjoy dinner and entertainment, Mr LeBeau?" 

"All forms of entertainment that involved stickin' your parts in someone else's gets taken upstairs, I don't want y'all making these lice-infested half-wits think they can act any typ'a way in this here establishment." 

Mock saluting him, Nat dumps herself in Bucky's lap any way, sending a wink over his shoulder. "Now, where were we?" 

"The two of you were just leaving," Sam says with a roll of his eyes. "Me 'n Steve don't want to watch you sucking face all night." 

"You know Sam, one of these days you won't be able to speak for you and Stevie any more, especially since he's real sweet on our dear friend, Tony now," Bucky pipes up, trailing kisses along Natasha's collarbone. 

"Tony?" Nat quirks an eyebrow in Steve's direction, watching the man try to make himself as small as possible. 

"Bucky, can you shut up, please? I'm _not _sweet on him."__

____

____

"That's good then," Nat says, and at the three pairs of eyes staring at her questioningly, she explains, "Tony's been out and about with Johnny Storm, Sue's little brother." 

"Johnny Storm? No way!" Bucky cries, sitting straighter in his seat. "When did that happen?" 

"While you three were bein' shut-in hermits, Reed got him down here from the farm. Heard it's because the drought isn't treating them too well and the Storms needed to cut their expenses, besides, they needed an extra set of hands since Tony's _accident."_

____

____

"Isn't Tony older than him though?" 

"Samuel Wilson," Nat cries in indignation, slapping his arm with her handkerchief. "Do y'all say anything when an Alpha way past his prime walks around here with a pretty young thing on his arm?" 

Rubbing his arm sheepishly, Sam peers at her. "Ow, that's not even what I was implying!" 

"Then what were you implying bringing up their ages? It's a free country, isn't it? I'd be tired of men like you too if I was in the dating business." 

"Firstly, ouch, Natasha," Bucky pipes up, sipping at his beer languidedly. "And secondly, maybe he wants a pup and thinks the only way to get pregnant is to sleep with a younger man. I heard that's how missus McKinnon had her- OW!" 

"James Barnes, you aren't any better. Do you think our lives just revolve around the whims and needs of Alphas and babies?" Nat asks, twisting his ear some more. "You two better stop speculating about Tony, before I-" 

"Who's speculating about me?" 

Steve's jostled in his seat by the voice that appears above him, Tony's charming smile lighting up his face. "You boys don't have corn to shuck?" 

"They probably do, but prefer to spend all their time worried about what other people do. They're the biggest gossips in town." 

"I wouldn't be so harsh on them Nat." Tony chuckles pulling up a seat beside Steve. "Are you staying for dinner?" 

"Yes we ar-" 

"He wasn't talking to you lot," Nat pipes up, shaking out of Bucky's hold to grab Tony's arm and move to another table. 

"Nat!" Steve cries, making a face at her interruption. 

Paying no mind to Steve, she leads the giggling Omega to a seat at the bar. "Tony comes here to spend time with me, not you no-good Alphas." 

*** 

"So, I hear you've been robbing cradles." 

Tony groans into his whiskey, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "You small town folk don't have much to do around here besides gossip, it's probably why so many of you have so many pups running around." 

"Should I expect you to be running after little whelplings soon too?" she asks coyly, circling the rim of her scotch with a finger. 

Tony almost chokes on his drink, laughing at Nat's insinuation. "With who, exactly? I live in a matchbox room in an Omega hostel, Natasha, where would I even fit any whelplings?" 

"I hear Reed has lots of space, he wouldn't turn his nephew away." 

"NEPHEW?" Tony shouts, piping down when about a dozen of the heads in the tavern turn to him. "Nephew? Nephew? You sure have lost it, Natalia, did you bump your head or something?" 

"That's the word on the street, love. You're taking the Storm boy to bed and makin' a man outta him." Nat sniffs, taking a long sip of her drink. "Which I don't understand, I myself like my men a little older, a little more refined. What do you even talk to that youngin about?" 

Tony rolls his eyes again, signalling for Remy to top him up. "Trust me, Natasha, if I take 'em to bed, it's not because I enjoy their company. A knot is a knot." 

They both turn their heads when they hear sputtering, a red-faced Steve shying over to the bar. "Sorry, I-I was just topping up our drinks." 

"Of course, Steve. Excuse my foul mouth." Tony winks up at him, taking a sip from his drink and letting the taste roll over his tongue. 

"N-No worries, Tony. What you said was mild compared to Bucky whenever he's losing at something." 

"Then I should be thankful, my soul might still be saved with a man as virtuous as you defending it." 

*** 

A round of cards breaks out at one table, and Natasha and Tony decide to team up and have some fun. 

Bucky and Steve watch miserably as the Omegas their hearts were set on flirt and joke with the other men in the bar, Sam standing up to join them after the fifth deep sigh that comes out of Steve. "Either you join them, ask them to sit on your knots for all of eternity, or keep staring at them in silence while braver men make their intentions known," their long-time friend says in passing, tapping Tony's leg and sitting down to get a lapful of the brunet Omega. 

Steve glares at him from across the room for the rest of the night. 

*** 

On theirway home, Sam calls out to Steve from his horse. "You know, Steve, that Storm boy sure looks like you." 

"What?" Steve asks, knocked out of his daydreams. 

"Johnny, I said he looks like ya'," Sam repeats. 

"You're right, Sam, he could be a deadringer for teenage Steve, I don't know why I didn't see it before." 

"Because you're too busy thinking with your knot." 

"Oh sh-" 

"What does that mean?" Steve interrupts, poking his head out of the wagon to stare at the two men. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You said Johnny looks like me, what does that mean?" 

"I just thought it was an interesting observation," Sam says nonchalantly, readjusting his hat on his head. 

"Tony might have a type, at least we know if you were a few years younger, you'd totally have a chance with him," Bucky says unhelpfully, chewing on a tobacco leaf. 

Slinking back into the back of the wagon, Steve throws an arm around the crate of goods they'd bought in town, getting lost in his thoughts to the sound of Bucky and Sam bickering outside. 

_If Tony liked the Storm boy, maybe he could like me too, given the chance._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it, what are your thoughts?? Please tell me what you think of the new developments 😏💛
> 
> Endgame stays the endgame, unless... haha (I'm kidding guys 😩)


	4. Loud silences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Tony's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!
> 
> Business first:
> 
> \- sex scene between Natasha and Tony in the last part of the chapter (from where she takes him upstairs!!), though they are not and will not become a couple!!
> 
> \- thinking of the past, though explicit things aren't really mentioned, so no triggers that I can think of, but please let me know if I should tag anything!!
> 
> \- Tony is currently going through a really rough depressive episode, and this chapter is a bit heavy!!
> 
> I hope this is okay 💛

By Spring, the rush through town had slowed into a steady daily trickle that helped boost most of the stores and businesses lining the main street. They manage to clear the plot of land for the grape arbor and Bucky orders materials from San Antonio that arrives with another wagon-load of settlers.

"See what you want to do is not lnly turnover and fertilise the soil, but you're going to need structures for the vines to grow with." Tony fans himself with his straw hat, pointing to the sections of land that would be best suited for it. 

"In the mid-West they either build short fence-like structures and have their grapes grow in tightly-packed rows, but since you want an arbor, we're going to have to use some of those longer posts," he continues. "I'm thinking ten feet at the least." 

Steve, flushed red from the warm sun, looks over his shoulder. "Yeah, Bucky got those. The fertiliser we got was the right one?" 

"Of course it was, Steven," Tony says, playfully slapping his shoulder, "would I ever lead you astray?" 

Charmed, Steve smiles down at him, resting a steady hand on the back of his neck. "Of course not, Tony. Thanks for being willin' to come out here." 

"Well I was promised some good quality wine after all, and the company isn't too bad either," the brunet says winking. "We should get some string to mark where we'll build, go and get some and I'll start measuring." 

*** 

"You've been doing that a lot lately," Reed said, leaning against Tony's workbench. 

"Doing what?" 

"Smiling like the cat that got the cream, is Johnny _really _that interesting?" Reed taps a slow beat into the wood, smiling down at Tony.__

____

____

Tony slaps Reed's thigh, leaning back in his chair. " _Johnny? _Why does everyone think Johnny and I have something going on? And stop smiling, it's creepy."__

____

____

"Creepy, huh? Is this creepy too?" Reed jumps up, tickling Tony's sides. 

"Ye-yes! It's creepy! Sue!" 

*** 

"Let me help you carry that, Tony," Steve says when he meets him by the road. "What is all of this?" 

"Well," Tony starts, handing the packages over to Steve, "I thought we needed more than just my expertise. Turns out the town's library, though ancient and barely even running, has quite an extensive collection on farming. You boys ever go down there during bad harvests?" 

"A library? _Us? _And here I thought you knew us by now," Steve says smiling, peering over at the book Tony flips through.__

____

____

"I see I'll have to drag you three down to the schoolhouse after I chase you into a bath." 

"You tryin' to say something, Tony?" 

"Nothing much, just that I could smell you coming up the road before I even saw you," Tony teases. 

*** 

"Thanks for this, Tony, really." 

Setting Bucky's shirt aside, Tony reaches for one of Sam's. "It's not problem, Burckaroo, but one would think one of you knuckleheads would learn how to sew. Good cotton shirts like this shouldn't just be left to rot and tear." 

"If we sewed it up, how would we convince you to keep comin' over, darlin'?" Bucky asks with a wink, stretching himself out over the couch. 

"So I should expect you to slash up your sheets next? Just ask me to come over, genius." 

*** 

"Tony, what's wrong?" Steve finds the man sitting in the wicker chair on the porch, face turned to the sun. 

"Nothing," Tony replies, a small smile crossing his lips. "I'm just thinking about home. I suppose absence does make the heart grow fonder." 

It was the first mention of Tony's past, _well _the life he lived before he'd been swept into their little town. "Home? You mean you didn't just pop out of God's head fully grown and arguin' with someone?"__

____

____

"And here I thought you didn't read, how does a small-town boy like you know about Greek mythology?" 

Steve smiles, resting his hat over Tony's face. "Just because I don't read, doesn't mean I don't listen to stories. " 

"Listening to stories, that's the only thing you three are good at." 

"That's not what you were sayin' when you had that veal last week." Steve chuckles, admiring the splash of colour on Tony's cheeks. It made him more real, more _alive, _less like someone who sprung from his imagination. "Do you miss home?"__

____

____

Tony bursts into laughter, nose wrinkling up. "God, no. I'm actually starting to wonder if any of it was even real." 

"How so?" Steve asks, alarmed by the way Tony's face falls, that sadness that he noticed every now and then bleeding through. 

"I don't know, really... things just seem a bit unreal, don't you think?" 

"Tony are you okay?" 

Tony took Steve's hand and held onto it. "Of course I am." He smiled, eyes still downcast. "Will you sit with me?" He didn't want to be alone right now, not when he was stuck in his head and thinking of Rhodey, of his mama. 

"Of course," Steve replied, lowering himself to sit beside the chair, his hand never leaving Tony's. 

*** 

Tony liked the farmhouse, it was cosy and well-built, and felt like a home. Not _his _of course, but a home nonetheless, with it's worn rug and hay-stuffed cushions, Sam's leather jacket draped across the dresser in the lounge, one of Bucky's boots out by the door, a stray shirt of Steve's on the banister. All little signs of living, that someone was not only existing and passing through like a ghost, but actually got to experience life, no matter how hard it could sometimes be.__

____

____

It was a stark contrast to Tony's bedroom back at the hostel; he kept everything in place, bags always packed and shoes at the door in case he ever needed to leave in a rush. Rhodey would've called him dramatic, but if there was one thing he'd learned in the passed fee months, it was that you never go through life unprepared. 

When he'd left New York, he didn't have an article or item to his name beside the clothes on his back. Rhodey had had to buy all his things brand new on the way to the docks, and Ty had made off with them in the end, likely selling it off in the first town he'd stopped off in, or passing it out to whatever naive Omegas he had coerced into a "better" life. 

While Tony hadn't closed himself off to anyone or denied himself any friends (the easiest way to hide was in plain sight after all), he understood that what Bucky and Sam and Steve had, and what Sue and Reed and Ben and Johnny had, wasn't something he'd ever have again. Rhodey was on the west coast last he'd seen him, waving Tony off and risking his life and reputation to get him to safety, while his mama had long ago boarded a ship back to her homeland, leaving him in Obi's _capable _hands.__

____

____

He didn't really know why he was thinking of these things, after all, if he wanted a family, he could have just stayed in New York. Still, as irrational as he knew he was being, it didn't stop him from feeling a deep rooted sadness. 

Tony sighed, swinging his legs over the bed and walking over to the washstand. Pouring water into the bowl, he washed his face of sleep, hoping the puffiness would subside before he left for work. 

Routine and structure were good for him, keeping his mind busy and tiring himselfbout was even better. _"Idle hands are the devil's workshop," _his mother used to say, at first using it to justify putting him through hours of needlework, and later to get him into doing every other home economics chore and skill she could find.__

____

____

Tony breathed deeply, bracing himself for another day. 

*** 

"Tony, _relax. _If you sit any stiffer, I might take you for a piece of furniture," Remy demanded, pouring him another drink.__

____

____

"Sorry." Tony gave him a small little smile, dimmer than his usual ones. "I think I reached my limit two drinks ago, you know." 

"One more won't hurt ya', and I'll handle anyone who got a problem with how you're spendin' your hard-earned gold." 

"And this?" Natasha asks, popping up behind Tony. "Is Remy bullying you into drinking his disgusting moonshine?" 

"Disgusting?!" 

"It tastes like cow puss, and you know it, Mr Lebeau." 

Remy grabs his rag, moving to the other side of the bar. "See if I give ya' anything for free again." 

"Tony?" 

Startling at the attention now on him, Tony turns to look at Natasha, wide eyed and slightly tipsy. "Nat." 

"Are you okay, sweetie? I'm pretty sure alcohol is supposed to loosen you up, love," the redhead says, tone carefully light. She'd seen this many times, even her strongest girls broke every once in a while, it's why she kept their hearts full and minds busy. Things, whether booze or pretty jewels or books to keep them busy, were material, yes, but for girls in their profession, it chased away the tendrils of darkness that every client left behind. Their work wasn't just hard on the body, but hard on the mind too, and she had lots of girls with dark pasts. 

"I'm doing just fine, Nat." The Omega swings off the chair, stumbling over to the couch against the wall. 

Sitting down beside him, Nat shoved a stray lock of hair behind his ear. "You've been keeping to yourself lately, am I no longer important now that you go down to that farm every week?" 

"Of course not, Nat. I've just been tired, is all." Tony leans back, closing his eyes. "It's been busy you know?" 

"I know, but I still make time to come look for you every Saturday. You've been blowing me off." Natasha studies her friend, from his slightly-thinner frame, to the poorly concealed deep-set circles under his eyes. 

"Promise I won't anymore?" 

"Are you asking or making a promise to me?" 

"Both?" 

"There is no both, you silly Omega, come on," she says, dragging Tony up behind her. "I know just what to do to relieve some of your _fatigue. _"__

____

____

*** 

"You're not sleeping too well, are you? Those shadows under your eyes aren't from one or two nights of missing sleep," Natasha says as she drives her fingers into Tony, and hand playing with his hair. "You're just feeling sad aren't you, baby?" 

"I- I- Mm," Tony moaned weakly, a hand fisted in her skirt. 

"Shh, don't you worry about a thing. Let me make you feel good." Natasha kisses his brow gently, trailing feather light pecks down the side of his face to his exposed collarbone. 

"Oh oh oh!" Tony screams when she twists her fingers, slamming them in and out with a gentleness unlike any other. With his legs spread like this, and Nat almost a fist deep in him, Tony feels like he _should _feel some type of way about being spread out in a brothel, but nothing except the pleasure registers, or matters, to him. "Naaaaaaat!"__

____

____

"That's right, darling, I've got you." Natasha pinches one of his dark nipples after shoving his shirt up his chest, surprised at the keening noise that rips out of Tony. "Oh? Did you like that, puppy?" 

_"Yesyesyesyesyes!"_

____

____

When he finishes and she walks over to her basin, returning with a wet cloth, the shame and embarrassment finally sinks in. "Nat I-" 

"Tony, if you're about to say anything other than praising me for my skills, or thanking me for the sleep you're about to get, save it. You're my friend, and this is something I wanted to do for you, so no apologies, and no shame, and definitely no gold." 

"Bu-but-" 

"If you feel like you want to repay me, you can tell me whether or not James talks about me." She smiles then, so openly and sincerely all at once that it's hard for Tony to look away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know of any tags I should add, and sorry for not replying to comments yet, will do so first thing in the morning I'm just super exhausted right now 💔
> 
> Thank you for reading my loves, please let me know if you like the direction the story is going in.
> 
> NB: Time-wise, am I making things move too fast?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! Let me know what you think? 👁👁


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